Dragon Ball Z DVD Reviews
Everything you ever wanted to know about early DBZ DVDs.
Ginyu discs
These discs have stirred enough commotion in the anime community that I feel it's necessary to include more then just the basic DVD Notes you'd normally find. In fact, this could be considered a review of the discs, both technical and content wise. For those of you who only want the normal notes, I'll get them done within the first paragraph and you can skip the rest.
These discs are a major revelation with anime fans because they are completely uncut (in a way) and have English and Japanese language tracks. This is the first time Japanese-language Dragon Ball Z TV episodes have been released legally in North America. The discs themselves are actually not terrible, though not great. The English audio is a decent 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo mix with the changed music. Dialogue is clear and undistorted, with the fight sequences sounding very nice through my set-ups. The Japanese audio on the first Ginyu disc, Assault, is not quite as good. This is basically the same mono you normally hear from the Japanese version of Dragon Ball Z. The music comes across fine, and dialogue is mostly clean and clear though there's a bit of a hiss. Also, some areas are showing their age. Sometimes the dialogue is a little tinny and scratchy. On the Double Cross disc, dialogue seems louder and with less hiss. However, dialogue is a little more tinny, though not so much that it detracts from viewing. The audio on the opening is overexposed and rather poor sounding due to a major mistake made by FUNimation (I'll get into it later). The video on the other hand was actually better then I had heard and was expecting. On the Assault disc, the characters looked surprisingly sharp. This is because the majority of these episodes had a higher detail for the characters, as is the case with Dragon Ball Z. The backgrounds were a different story though. They were soft and grainy, causing them to become pixilated at times. There was a little grain on the foreground picture too. This, partly, caused some artifacting issues. Due to the fact that Japanese episode 68 and English episode 54 don't quite synch up, the Assault disc was encoded on two video tracks. This means that switching audio on-the-fly isn't possible. Having two video tracks on a single-layered disc took up a fair bit of space, causing some compression artifacts. As of the second episode on the disc, both versions synch. On a side note, it took until Japanese episode 72 and English episode 58 for both versions to synch on TV. Then it fell out of synch again for a few episodes due to a cut that had to be made. The Double Cross disc has both versions on the same video track, meaning switching audio is possible. However, these episodes were a little grainier and not as sharp-looking, partly due to the art style used. The title cards, OP/ED are accessed through alternate angles and separate video tracks that are automatically queued up by selecting the appropriate language. This is done without any problem to the viewer and is really quite commendable. The Double Cross has close captioned subtitles for the dub as well as literal subtitles. Since the Assault disc had two video tracks, the appropriate subtitle went with the appropriate language only. On a side note, I'd suggest playing the literal subtitles with the English track, or the CC's with the Japanese track. It's hilarious, to say the least. Some players may have problems with the dubtitles being queued up on the second disc (my DVD-ROM did, but my Sanyo player and PS2 didn't have any problems). The opening sequence on the first episode of the Double Cross disc was very shifty for around half a minute for some reason. The only other problem was some artifacting. These are brought into the light more by the grain. The menus are very average. Just two static backgrounds of Captain Ginyu with a few seconds of (English) music. The cover art was very unimpressive. Nothing more then two screen caps. This won't turn any casual browser's head. On the plus side, the labeling for the DVDs, while based on the cover art, looks very sharp and overall attractive. If they would get a decent cover design as well, things would be pretty top notch. There are no extras or inserts on either disc. That was really long for just basic DVD Notes. That honestly wasn't my original intent, but I am trying to be thorough. This is where the basic notes end, so if that's all you wanted, just skip the rest.
As far as the technical aspects of these discs are concerned, I wasn't really disappointed. DBZ is getting old, so both the video and audio masters are going to be far from perfect. On the plus side, the video is about on par with the dub-only Pioneer discs. Frankly, I'm fairly impressed FUNimation found an authoring house that was able to do what they did with these discs. This gives me hope for the future as FUNimation begins to master their craft.
So how's the actual content on the discs? Well, here's where a lot of the compliments will cease I'm afraid. FUNimation made some very poor decisions that I don't understand in the least. First off, what's most obvious is the opening and ending. The reason I'm not using them in plural is because they are only at the very beginning and very end of each disc, as opposed to at the beginning and end of each episode like they should be. Also, the last/next time segments as well as the eyecatches have been completely excised. I do know that the audio in the masters for the next time segments aren't present (due to some weird tradition at Toei? Sailor Moon suffers from this as well, I believe). With all these omissions, the disc has an amateurish feel to it. When an episode ends, the screen freezes for a couple second, then the next episode title suddenly starts up. The eyecatches also make it so the video seems to jump in some episodes (other times it's seamless). In one episode, when Kuririn is attempting to summon the Namek Dragon, the sequence seems to repeat itself. On broadcast, the commercial break came in-between. Without the eyecatches, that sequence looks unusual.
I have to thank someone for the information in this paragraph. That person is Chris Psaros, the creator and maintainer of the now static Dragon Ball Z Uncensored website (dbzuncensored.dbzoa.net). For those of you who don't know, Dragon Ball Z Uncensored is an excellent Dragon Ball Z site specifically made to inform people about the differences between the English and Japanese versions of Dragon Ball Z. I'd highly recommend checking it out. Gratuitous advertising aside, Chris wrote an article on the Assault disc that informed me of something I never would have found out about if it wasn't for him. The overexposed audio on the openings is due to the fact that these discs use the opening for Movie #1, credits and all. This means that the credits used on this opening do not correspond with the staff employed to create these specific episodes. The ending credits were correct for Japanese episode 69 but Japanese episode 69 only. The Double Cross disc uses the wrong opening as well. I can tell because Tenkaichi Gohan, a cute song from Movie #1 is credited, but never actually sung. As for the ending on the second disc, it looks different from the first, which is good, but I can't tell you whether it's wrong or partly right. With most, if not all anime TV series, the opening and ending animations are the same but the credits are always different. By using this method, FUNimation is insulting the Japanese staff. This is by far my biggest complaint about these DVDs. What's really unfortunate is that FUNimation does not translate these credits anywhere. That means they have absolutely no incentive what-so-ever to use the correct openings and endings in the future.
Now we come back to something I whole heartedly approve and support about the very basis of these discs: the subtitles. FUNimation made the extremely wise choice of hiring the very best translator for Dragon Ball Z. The reason I say this is because the translator is Steven Simmons of Toriyama.org. Mr. Simmons has a Masters in Japanese, has lived in Japan for several years and is also one of the biggest and most dedicated Dragon Ball Z fans to ever grace this planet. That means that not only can he tell exactly what's being said but he cares about the show and will put that extra bit of effort to make sure that the subtitles are translated as fully as they possibly can be. Finally, Dragon Ball Z TV episodes are available with a 100% accurate translation. We all know that the dub isn't accurate, but neither are many fansubs. For example, AnimeLabs relies heavily on profanity and S. Baldric... well, I don't even think I should go there. It's nice to know that this series is in very capable hands. However, there are two flaws in the translation. These are not Steve Simmons fault, but rather alterations made by FUNimation. First off, the names are the names used in the dub version. This looks very awkward when Buruma calls Goku "Son-kun" and people see "Goku" on the bottom of the screen. The other thing is the swearing. I read that Gen Fukunaga made it clear he did not want any kind of swearing in the subtitles. On the first disc, any swearing was watered down as crud, shoot, heck, etc. This doesn't go over very well with me at all. There are swear words in the uncut dub (though they are rare), so why not in the subtitles? That's what I thought until the Double Cross disc. Stronger words like were still watered down, but there was swearing on that disc. When I read that Gen Fukunaga didn't want any swearing in the subtitles, I didn't know that didn't include 'damn' and 'bastard'. That struck me as extremely strange. There are also grammatical errors in the subtitles that were not Simmons fault. They do look a little amateurish because of this and I hope they are corrected in the future. Also, the typesetting was mildly bothersome, particularly on the Assault disc. Basically, think of when you type a document on any given word processor, only you have the text centred, then pressing enter before the last word. That's basically what it looks like. This means that sometimes a sentence would stretch the length of the screen and then the ending word would be in the centre of the screen on a second line. The subtitles themselves were rather small, but the black border made them very readable. On the Assault disc the subtitles were a light gray and on the Double Cross disc they were white.
I've read on very good authority that the next time/last time segments, may appear on future volumes, though the next time segment will probably be an English voice over only. The names issue is also said to be corrected for all future volumes. The strange thing is, they guaranteed the original names for future volumes almost exactly when the DVDs came out. They weren't in circulation long enough for anyone to notice or complain about them. If FUNimation is willing to use the original names, why did they even bother using the dubbed names in the subtitles in the first place? Unfortunately, nothing is said about the openings and endings being on each episode, the eyecatches or, most importantly, the Japanese credits issue. At least the future volumes will be an improvement over these, but it doesn't seem like they'll have everything I want. Also, the next discs correspond with the Trunks VHS tapes. This is being done so that the DVDs and VHS tapes will eventually be released day and date with each other. Eventually, everything before the Trunks discs will be released on DVD. I find that unfortunate honestly. I'd like the Frieza saga and everything after it on bilingual DVD faster.
So all in all these discs have some darn good points to them. Technically, they were certainly not outstanding but got off to a good start, better then I had expected. Plus, the subtitles are the greatest thing since sliced bread. Unfortunately the issues with openings/endings, last time/next time segments, eyecatches and, most importantly, the credits hampered these discs much more then was necessary.
Trunks discs
Here we have the second set of FUNimation's revolutionary DVDs. How do these discs stack up compared to the last ones? Well, these discs can be summarized in two words: much better. Of course I'll be going into a lot of detail because two words isn't any fun, is it? As with the last set of notes, I'll get the basic stuff out of the way first, so if that's all you want, just read the first paragraph.
The English audio on these discs is in a very passable stereo format, much like the first discs. There's really not much to say on that subject. I must admit I was pleasantly surprised with the Japanese audio on the Trunks discs. While still in it's original mono, the sources appear to have been stored better. There was a surprising reduce in the hiss, enough that I was able to turn the volume up rather loud and not be distracted in the least. There was also no distortion to be found at all, and it didn't seem so blatantly old-sounding. Still, compared to the English track, and on it's own, the Japanese track for Dragon Ball Z sounds hushed, due to it's age and because it has no separation. Unless a stereo mix is done (which would be very nice, though I'm not expecting it) this is probably as good as the original Dragon Ball Z is going to sound. Video-wise, it's basically the same as the Ginyu discs. Not terribly bad, but not terribly good. Things vary from what art style is used in whatever particular episode, but there's grain and softness that's rather visible in the background and it helps bring out compression artifacts and other problems. It's still a decent image, and cleaner then I'm making it sound. The packaging remains to be simple screen captures, just like the VHS covers. I admit to liking the font used to advertise the bilingual feature of the DVD--it's much more eye-grabbing. If only FUNi would hire a decent graphics designer then they wouldn't have me and many other complaining about such a plain graphic. Something to commend them on, and I don't feel I'm exaggerating, is the labelling on the DVDs looks fantastic. This is the best looking digital versatile disc I've seen. It's not quite enough to overlook the cover art, however. Unlike the Ginyu discs, the menus are a big improvement and rather nice on their own. There are several different sections to choose from and all feature streaming-video animation and sound. Selections are accessed quick and everything looks very professional. There are those who say extra bells and whistles aren't necessary but believe me when I say that extra bells and whistles show extra effort and they are very much appreciated. There are no inserts provided and the only extra, not counting the commercials, is the "History of Dragon Ball Z". It's a twenty-or-so minute feature explaining all the events from Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z before the events presented on these discs. For those in need of a refresher, this is a pretty decent way to get up to speed. That's all for the basic stuff, so unless you want to know the nitty-gritty of these two DVDs, you might as well skip the rest.
The basic notes showed a lot of improvements, huh? Well, there are improvements all around. As far as video goes, they aren't shining examples of anime DVDs, but for hardcore Dragon Ball Z fans, they look great when compared to fansubs or the International Channel. So how did FUNimation's involvement on these DVDs work out? Once again: much better. These discs utilize the alternate angle feature and alternate video tracks not only for OP/ED and title cards but also for the option to play the episodes with or without recaps. Some will argue that the option to play these episodes without recaps shouldn't be there, but if you do, you probably don't have anything better to do. Plus, it's honestly a cool option in spite of itself. Unfortunately, the next time segments are in English only (as was expected) and only at the end of the last episode on each DVD. I'm not annoyed that the recaps are only on near the end? I'm annoyed that they're there period. Not to sound offensive, but the English-only audio on the next time segment really throws the Japanese version off. I'd rather not have the next time segments at all. I am disappointed that Toei didn't give FUNimation any audio for these segments, because many Dragon Ball Z fans (including myself) agree that it's one of the high points of the series. Still, I don't believe there are any magicians working at FUNimation, so it would be ridiculous of me to blame them for not being able to make something out of nothing. Unfortunately, the eyecatches are still cropped out. While they've gotten better at taking them out seamlessly, it still looks a little odd. It's definitely in FUNi's best interest to just leave them in. Also, we're still only given one opening and one ending. What about the credits, my personal gripe? I'm happy to say that it is somewhat fixed. The opening used is correct for the time period these episodes take place and it's creditless. I'm not sure why this is, but I'm willing to give FUNi the benefit of the doubt that they don't have all the correct credited openings. This is the next best option and I'm very glad they've chosen to do it this way. So in the end, a lot of things have been fixed. All I'm asking for now are full OP/ED, eyecatches and no previews.
Steven J. Simmons's translation is no longer hindered by FUNimation. It appears they've made good on their promises. The names are translated correctly, although apparently Buruma can very well be called Bulma, which is something I didn't know before. Simmons also seems to have been given more creative control on his translation. This means those fun Japanese suffixes like -chan, -kun and -san are being used. The literal subtitles now have a very "fan-friendly" air to them, much like a rare high quality fansub. Also, the swearing policy has now changed. It reminds me of how Pioneer does things. Basically, they use less harsher swear words and the occasional cover-up. This is fine, as the original meaning gets through well enough. I'm very pleased that the full effect is being shown to U.S. audiences. FUNimation now seems to have decided that the subtitles will be a white with black border, and while they're small, I can read them just fine. The grammar, while not perfect, is much better, but I don't see why there are any errors at all. Trust me, if I can find some errors then someone with a better editing ability will be able to polish the subtitles up just fine. Also, the typesetting is still annoying, but improved. There were two very annoying subtitling mistakes that should not have happened at all. The first, and worst, was a scene with Tenshinhan speaking. His speech ran two lines and the third word should have wrapped around to the centre of a third line. Instead, it was plunked at the top of the screen. The second error was a very bad mis-timing during an episode recap. The subtitles were a good three to five seconds off the speech. I really hope that I never see that again.
In the end, I've already mentioned what I want from these discs. They faired a lot better this time around, but on their own it's kind of sad that many fans have to ask for these things from a company that is apparently trying to gain a footing in the anime market. There is one extra that I would really like to see on future discs, and that is liner notes from Steven J. Simmons, since his subtitles are allowed to be fan-friendly. I don't think I'll ever see them, but one can always dream. Also, the next TV series DVDs are undisclosed. I heard a report that FUNimation plans on releasing at least one DVD a month, but their schedule seems non-existent as of right now. I honestly don't see how they can catch up with the VHS and release all the backlog at the rate they're going. Still, the only thing I can do is sit back and wait, and hope the improvements are made.
Android discs
This prelude to the Cell Saga, which spans four discs, are not much different from the Trunks discs. The English audio is in stereo and the Japanese audio is in mono. Both sound fine for what they are. The video was a tad disappointing. Overall, there was a thicker layer of grain then I would have expected, although it did taper off after the first couple episodes. Unfortunately, it never went away completely, making the picture not as sharp as I would have liked. The covers still use uninspired screen-caps and there are no inserts. However, the discs themselves look rather nice. The menus have, unfortunately, de-evolved into static screens with rather annoying Android music. The only extras are trailers and the "History of Dragon Ball Z" which is the exact same thing we saw on the Trunks discs. There's not much more on the technical side of these discs as they're pretty similar to the Trunks discs, so skip the rest if you're not interested in my ramblings.
Like the Trunks discs, you can choose to play these episodes with or without recaps. There's still only one opening and one ending, no eyecatches and one preview at the end, in English. OP/ED are accessed via different video tracks that are pulled up when the appropriate language is selected. Unfortunately, like the other discs, this causes the screen to freeze for a second while the disc pulls the different video track up and when it goes back to the main feature. Title cards and recaps are accessed through alternate angles. I'm not sure why the recaps are encoded as alternate angles, but it doesn't seem to create any problems. The credits issue is further resolved, as the ending is now creditless as well. All that's needed now is full OP/ED, eyecatches and no English preview during the Japanese version.
The subtitles fixed the typesetting that annoyed me before be reducing the border. It's a fair tradeoff, I suppose, and the subtitles are still easy to read. The grammar is also pretty good. There weren't any particularly bad errors. There were also no issues with mistimed or misplaced subtitles. Overall, they looked pretty professional.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to give a second-rate review of these discs. There's just not much to say here. Any questions you have about these discs can probably be answered by looking at the Trunks discs. These discs really are about the same as those.
World Tournament discs
Here's where some changes are being made. Things are really looking up now. For those wondering, in a never-ending attempt by FUNimation to get the VHS and DVD released day-and-date, these batch of discs are the four World Tournament discs. These are pre-Boo saga discs. These notes will be spoiler free though.
The audio is the same tired-and-true story of stereo for our native English language and mono for this shows native language. Both are spot-on, all things considered. These episodes, having been made not so long ago, are in fair condition. There's some light grain and a few specks of damage, but on the whole things look pretty clean here. This allows the image to actually look enhanced via the DVD process. Artifacting was of no issue and, if anything, the edges got a little jagged when the camera paned (but that's a fault I see on lots of anime DVDs). The DVD covers are still screen caps, but the pictures chosen are slightly better (especially the fourth disc of this set) and, again, the discs themselves look nice. The menus used include streaming-video animation (a la Trunks discs) that are specific to each individual disc. There are no extras, since the "History of Dragon Ball Z" is sorely out of date for these episodes and FUNimation didn't deem fit to include anything except for commercials. The quality of these discs are nice, but what about the content? Well folks, I never thought I'd say it, but I don't really have any complaints. The first disc in this set started off with only one opening and closing (which features the new "We Gotta Power" and "We Used to be Angels" opening and closing that were introduced after the Cell saga) but it was the first disc to feature the eyecatches. That's right, FUNimation finally got the message and left the eyecatches intact. As a side note, they composed a new little music piece for their English version to play during the eyecatches and I really liked it. It was short but appropriate for the fun animation used. From the second disc on, not only were the eyecatches still in place, but FUNimation took the initiative of adding opening and ending sequences for all the episodes (both versions). It's about time. Granted, these sequences are creditless for the Japanese version, but it's much better then what I've seen in the past. FUNimation also ditched the option to not play recaps. Thus, when you hit play, the recap will automatically play. FUNimation also, apparently, ditched the alternate angles. Thus the openings, endings and recaps are accessed through separate video tracks. On the plus side the transitions were quite smooth. It appears that a fade-out was introduced (or edited in, if you must) to the Japanese version so the video switch could occur during the black screen. The switch itself happened quite fast. What's more is that you can fast forward and rewind *through* the video switches. This is extremely impressive and FUNimation's authoring house, Vision Wise, deserves a pat on the back. Finally, my complaint about the English-only preview playing during the Japanese version is rectified. The preview will only play if you choose to watch these discs in English.
There's nothing much to say about the subtitles. They're still high-quality, accurate translations from the great Mr. Simmons.
FUNimation finally delivered a solid set of DVDs here. Their releasing strategy is also vastly improved. They're cranking out back catalogue discs, along with new discs, like someone is going to take the DVD format away from them.
Frieza discs
Hoo-boy. This 30-something episode arc spans ten discs and there's plenty to talk about. Let's get right into things.
If you select the English version, you get a nice stereo track. If you select Japanese, you get a decent mono track. As for the video, I have to admit I'm quite impressed. This is the best this show has looked. Due to FUNimation's valiant effort to crank out their back catalogue, they hired a second authoring house to tackle these set of episodes. The authoring house's name is CinePost and they're based in Atlanta. I gave their website a look and they are allegedly capable of more than just DVD authoring. They also specialize in video touch-ups and audio sweetening. When I compared the video on these discs to the video on the Ginyu discs, I immediately noticed how clean these episodes were. There was no grain to speak of, though there were some scattered nicks and scratches. Either these episodes were stored better, or FUNimation took advantage of CinePost's clean-up capabilities. I'm leaning toward the latter. The overall picture is steady, clean and quite sharp. Even when the dull art style is used, the picture still looks nice. My only real complaint was that bright flashes had a tendency to get kind of blocky. Earlier episodes were worse then later ones, but the issue was never completely laid to rest. Covers are still the same boring screen caps with no inserts and nice-looking DVDs. The menus are another fun topic on these discs. They're totally computer animated and made to represent the inside of the spaceship Goku used to travel to Namek. It's extremely well done, with lots of attention to detail. But, for the early discs in the Frieza set, the layout was pretty confusing, but it was fixed pretty quickly (I'll go into more detail later). The only extras given are commercials, which don't even count in my mind. That's all for the technical stuff.
As for the content, these discs were very interesting. Since the first few Frieza discs were put into production before FUNimation's no-eyecatches/one OP/ED policy was changed, the first three discs suffered from this flaw. However, they also suffered from some brand new flaws. I mentioned that the menus were confusing, but allow me to elaborate. There is no language setting per-say. You can choose your subtitle setting (either the literal subtitles, labeled as Japanese, or the closed captions for the dub) and then you get sent to the episode options/chapters. In this sub-menu, you have the option to play the opening, ending or specific episode in English or Japanese. You don't actually select the episode itself, but rather the version of it. It's not hard to figure out after a few seconds, but you do get that "what in the world?" feeling. After I figured out what was going on, I didn't have any real problems with the menu set-up. However, something occurred that I did have a problem with. When you finish watching an episode, you get transported back to a "hidden" sub-menu that asks what language/subtitle you would like to view the next episode in. For the first three Frieza discs, there is no way to watch them in one continuous stream. However, it appears FUNimation must have been reading my mind, because they fixed all that for the fourth disc onward. Instead of the segregated episode options, there's a language and subtitle setting. Also, from the fourth disc on, the episodes will play in one continuous sequence. Furthermore, they implemented full OP/ED sequences from the fourth disc on (four's the magic number here, folks). Naturally, the openings and endings are creditless. However, the majority of the openings used throughout these discs appear to be the wrong ones. "Cha-la Head Cha-la" experienced several minor changes before "We Gotta Power" replaced it, yet FUNimation used the wrong ones for the most part. Also, the eyecatches did not make any appearances on any of these discs, despite the surrounding OP/ED. Strange. As for the video switches, they're about as smooth as the World Tournament discs, but you can't rewind or fast-forward though them.
As for the subtitles, the first thing you'll notice is the different font. Most people seem to really like it, but I personally didn't care for it. The font was too archaic for my tastes. I honestly found them a tad distracting. As for the grammar, I was really disappointed. While the Android and World Tournament discs had fairly solid grammar (unlike this entire review) these ten discs were chalk-full of errors. Also, Simmons himself has to take a few licks. It may surprise you that I'm saying that but let me explain. Simmons still uses the -san, -chan, etc. suffixes, and his translation in general is done with the more experienced fan in mind. This, in and of itself, is a good thing. Unfortunately, across these ten discs, I found the subtitled dialogue to be oftentimes stilted. Too stilted for my tastes. The point is still getting across and it's totally accurate. The translation just felt like it needed some fine-tuning. I can understand why this is, of course. With FUNimation cranking out so many discs, Simmons must be under a lot of pressure.
So when all's said and done, these ten discs are a mixed bag. Overall I am reasonably pleased with them, but a lot of the faults don't make sense to me. Oh well, they still trounce the Ginyu discs.
Babidi discs
These four discs finished their release after the Frieza discs, hence the reviewing order. These Babidi discs are a lot like the World Tournament discs, so expect a fairly short review.
If you can't guess the audio formats by now, you probably haven't been reading these notes (I can't say that I blame you). The video is akin to the World Tournament discs, with some light grain and occasional bit of dirt or damage, but with an overall pleasing image. If anything, there was one green flash of light during a fight that got artifacty. Otherwise this continues to be some of the best representation of Dragon Ball Z that one could hope for. Like the World Tournament discs, the screen-cap covers are well chosen, but still screen caps and there are no inserts or extras. Unlike the World Tournament discs, the menus are static but they function just fine.
Content-wise, things are the same as the World Tournament disc. Full, creditless openings and endings for the Japanese version, eyecatches and smooth video transitions. The subtitles were a little awkward on the first disc, but the other three were pretty top-notch.
There are several things I'd like to see happen. First of all, these discs need to have more episodes. DBZ is a 291 episode series after all and most of the discs only have three episodes, with the occasional four episode disc thrown in. If FUNimation continues to offer bare-bones discs, then I'd like to see these discs have six episodes, with the occasional seven episode disc thrown in (i.e.: combining two VHS volumes per DVD). If FUNi starts adding some worthwhile extras (and I wish they would) then four episodes a disc, with the occasional five episode disc thrown in, would be fair. Also, if they did make the ep. increase, than I think they're perfectly entitled to raise the price of the discs from $24.95 to $29.99. It's only fair. They are a business after all. As I just mentioned, I'd really like to see some extras included. Liner notes, voice actor interviews, commentaries--anything. I'd also like to see the creditless openings and endings have translated credits on them, since FUNi doesn't seem to have access to the original-credit OD/EDs. At the very least, a Japanese cast list provided somewhere would be nice. Finally, nicer covers, ones that aren't screen caps, and inserts would be a welcomed change. Unfortunately, FUNimation seems to be rather stubborn about those issues. Looks like I found myself some new complaints.